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The Richmond Palladium was founded in Richmond, Indiana, by Nelson Boon in 1831, with its first issue published on January 1. Established as a Whig paper, Boon sold the Palladium to Thomas J. Larsh, who became its primary editor. While initial circulation numbers are not easily available, the Palladium's subscriber base grew by 500 between January 1834 and January 1835. The paper's name changed several times over the following decades: the Richmond Indiana Palladium (1837-39) the Richmond Palladium (1839-1854), the Richmond Indiana Palladium (1854-55), and the Richmond Palladium (1855-75).

By 1856, David P. Holloway and Benjamin W. Davis were the sole owners of the Palladium, which had accommodated its political leanings to the emerging Republican Party. This new allegiance came with criticism of the Know Nothing Party and its presidential nominee Millard Fillmore for their pro-slavery sympathies. Holloway and Davis sold the paper to Isaac Jenkinson and Martin Cullaton in 1875, and within a year, the new owners divided it into the Richmond Weekly Palladium (1875-1905) and the Richmond Daily Palladium (1876-1904). By 1900, the weekly's circulation was 2,500 and the daily's was 1,800.

Rudolph G. Leeds acquired the paper through his mother, Jeanette Garr Leeds, in 1906, with the weekly edition renamed the Farm Palladium. Formed by the merger of the FarmPalladium, the Richmond Daily Palladium and the Richmond Sun-Telegram, the Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram started publication in 1907.

A progressive party paper, it openly supported Theodore Roosevelt's presidential bid for a third-term on the Progressive Party ticket. The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram was also recognized by the Progressive Press Associationas one of Indiana's 100 most progressive newspapers. Leeds deeply committed himself to progressive causes, publishing a series of columns during the 1910s and a supplemental pamphlet called the "Equal Price Law," which argued for a fairer pricing system for bulk goods. During the early 1920s, the paper opposed the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana and the United States. The paper's circulation, by 1922, had grown to 11,930. There was a special supplement published on January 1, 1931, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the paper.

The Palladium and Sun-Telegram and the Item merged into the Palladium-Item and Sun-Telegram on January 8, 1939. Moving away from its progressive leanings, the paper described its allegiance as "Independent Republican." The paper's content continued to change after the death of Rudolph Leeds in 1964, which ended his 58-year career managing, editing, and advising the Palladium. After Leeds's death, Edward H. Harris, Jr. became the owner; he transferred the paper to his son, Edward S. Harris, in 1969.

In 1972, the paper shortened its name to the Palladium Item, and in 1976, the Gannett Company, Inc. purchased it, expanding the publisher's outreach to 54 newspapers (at that time). By this period, the Item had lost all connections to political parties, donning the "Independent" label. As of 2015, its approximate circulation was 12,150.